With the negative effects of global warming increasing each year, climate activists are taking a unique perspective on the role of companies in these issues. Millions of individuals are killed each year due to extreme temperatures, floods, wildfires, etc. While not every one of these instances can be directly related to climate change, a multitude of them can be traced to climate related issues. Activists claim that this should enable the court system to charge fossil fuel companies with homicide for climate-related deaths. This far-fetched idea is gaining traction and support from public officials, members of the legal system, and the general public. Pursuing legal action against these companies can inspire other companies to produce their goods in more environmentally friendly ways.
Companies have been charged with homicide for climate-related deaths before, but activists are hoping to make these charges more prevalent. The validity of these charges is questionable because it is hard to prove that the death of an individual is linked to the recklessness of these fossil fuel companies. While big companies are primarily responsible for climate issues in the US, they are far from the only factor. People driving cars, heating their homes, etc., all contribute to climate change, making it difficult to only blame it on the companies. Another issue with this plan is that companies can claim that other factors caused these deaths. For example, if someone dies from extreme temperatures, even if the cause of the heat is due to climate change, a defense could argue that the person's age or other health factors are the cause. This line of reasoning is also seen in many big pharma companies. Although there may be thousands of victims who take the same drug and suffer from similar symptoms, it is rare legal action occurs because pharmaceutical companies argue that another factor could be the cause.
I think this is a great way to promote real change and better America for future generations. However, I think this idea, as of now, is unfeasible. These companies have thousands of workers, so deciding who and who not to charge would be difficult. The world's largest fossil fuel companies also have extremely skilled legal teams with immense resources, making them extremely difficult to go up against. In the future, if scientists could pinpoint the exact company that led to an individual's death, then I think this idea could be extremely
successful.
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